Wize Blog

Ricoh GR Digital II Reviewed

CNET has a review for the Ricoh GR Digital II and it's not a good story. The camera's expensive and doesn't have a zoom lens, nor does it take great pictures.

CNET gave the camera a 6.2 rating.

Here are the specs for the camera:
28mm (35mm equiv)
10MP sensor
2.7 LCD screen
two lens converter adapter available--one for 40mm and one for 21mm
pop-up flash (which gets blocked when you put on the lens converters)
manual exposure, including aperture and shutter priority modes

Unfortunately, the camera takes 4.4 seconds from the time you turn it on to the time it captures its first picture. Images also have too much noise at relatively low ISO speeds of 400.

How to Install RAM into a PC

Here's a video that shows you how to install more RAM into your PC. It's easy, just four steps:

First unplug
Find RAM slots
Try to upgrade to 1GB of RAM
Place RAM in slot

What's in Store for iPhone?

There's one thing that's going to happen with the iPhone that's a given--it's going to have new applications for users. Apple has a developer program that "provides a complete and integrated process for developing, debugging, and distributing your free, commercial, or in-house applications for iPhone and iPod touch."

The program is "complete with development resources, real-world testing on iPhone, and distribution on the App Store, you have everything you need to go from code to customer (see image to left).

Everyone's big question today is how much is the iPhone going to cost in the future. The answer is up to AT&T, iphone's carrier, and Apple.

Two things could happen, according to the New York Times: AT&T could subsidize the phone, making them less expensive (and raising monthly fees to buy the plan) or Apple could raise the price of the iPhone and let users use whoever they want to get phone service.

Anyone have a crystal ball to predict the future?

BlackBerry vs iPhone--What Users Like

A ChangeWave Survey released today reveals what consumers like best about the iPhone (rated 87 at wize.com) and BlackBerry (rated 90 at wize.com).

Seems like BlackBerry users like best is its exceptional access to email, and iPhone users like integration of its phone, iPod and Internet browser capabilities.

BlackBerry users didn't like the speed or quality of the Internet service, iPhone users didn't like the speed of AT&T's EDGE network.

Olevia 747i LCD HDTV Video Review

Tiger TV has a video review it recently added to YouTube. The Syntax Olevia 747i LCD HDTV (rated 97 at wize.com) looks like an interesting buy. You can check out the review below--

FiOS TV in NYC

New York's Department of Information and Telecommunications has given  the green light to FiOS TV as a cable franchise.

The service is delivered through a fiber optics network and will compete against cable TV.

Just what is FiOS TV? Well, below you'll find what the service might bring to you in the future.

100% fiber optic network
On Demand - Instant access to a library of the latest  movies, kids shows, sports programs
HD channels - More of a selection to watch  channels like ESPN, Discovery, TNT and others in high definition.
Picture and sound - Amazingly lifelike picture, hyper-real color and flawless sound.
Dual-tuner DVR - Gives you the freedom to pause and rewind live TV, record one show while watching another, and fast forward to your favorite part. 
Top premium channels - When you subscribe to a premium services like HBO or Cinemax, you can select from current favorites to original programming, 24 hours a day.
International channels - Stay connected to your homeland or the world with more than a dozen popular international premium channels including, RAI (Italian), TV5 (French), ART (Arabic), TV Japan (Japanese).

Sony A700 is Stepping Stone to Higher Level dSLRs

Consumer Reports took a look at the Sony alpha A700 digital SLR last month in an article that listed the highs, lows and bottom line about the camera.

It also reiterated the next step up in technology for Sony digital cameras, the 24MP "Flagship" camera.

Here's a summary of what you can expect from the two cameras it is entering into the dSLR market.

The Sony alpha A700 is rated a 99 at wize.com, the highest rating that the company gives to a product, making this Sony model a camera to consider buying instead of the popular Canon Rebel XTi (rated 97 at wize.com). The price tag for the A700 is a bit higher than for the Rebel XTi, but you get more megapixels--12 for the A700 as opposed to 10 for the Rebel XTi. Two highlights of this camera mentioned at the Consumer Reports site are:
1. The dynamic range optimizer lets you brighten the dark areas of the dynamic range, allowing for more detail in shadows.
2. An image stabilizer built into the camera's body.

The  "Flagship" camera (Sony's temporary name for its new product) will have a 24MP full-sized sensor. The camera will have Sony's "SteadyShot" image stabilization (which on the point-and-shoots works very well). We'll have to wait till it gets closer to 2009 to find out more about this camera. The Flagship is pictured in the above left part of this post. 

Camcorder Bag Touted by Magnacase

A video showing a bag from Magnacase for mid-sized camcorders like the Canon XH A1 High Definition Professional Camcorder (rated 97 by wize.com) can be viewed below. The bag meets all airline specifications for size so that you can bring it on as a carry-on. It also has features that keep your equipment from moving around.

The Hot Game, Wii Fit, Is Coming Soon

The fact that people in Europe are going crazy over the Wii Fit game has people in the US chomping at the bit to get one. They have to wait as it doesn't come out until May 21st.

Pocket-lint writes the following about sales of the game in the United Kingdom:

"Here in the UK, it has already outstripped all previous records on Play.com by selling out the entire pre-order allocation in one day leaving the online retailer 'overwhelmed' by demand."

Here's a description of the game, which is aimed at keeping users in-shape, from the Nintendo site:

"The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities focus towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu."

DXG-569V HD Camcorder Press Release

You can get the full skinny on the DXG-569V HD camcorder from a press release the company has put out today.

The $169 dollar camcorder, which comes in silver or black, will be sold at Radio Shack.

The camcorder records real HD video up to 1280 x 720 at 30 fps.

Inside the camera is a 5MP CMOS sensor for still image resolution of 8MP. The 3-inch screen rotates for easy viewing.

The camcorder also acts as a digital voice recorder, which is a great way to keep track of what you've been videotaping.

One of the best things about this camera is that you can view the recordings you make in high definition on a plasma or HDTV.